Oh, How Things Have Changed
by sliceofpie
Summary: Eight years have passed since the Titans have disbanded, and Raven and Cyborg have a chance meeting. Both have changed, and confessions are brought to a head. Rate T for one use of mild-ish language.


_Pie here. Yes, I finally got around to typing out a Cyborg/Raven fic. I know it's more than likely going to be cheesy as hell and the two are going to be so out of character it's ridiculous, but hey, I tried. Reviews are loved. I hope you like it. If not, flame me. Ha._

_**Oh, How Things Have Changed.**_

Wind whipped furiously at long, lavender hair. The entirety of the lavender mass was swirling uncontrollably, and somewhere within the hair was nestled a thin face, almost doll like, with large amethyst eyes, and a mouth. The mouth was set in a thin line, and the eyes looked out over the water at the setting sun.

Years had passed since the Titans had parted ways. The tower was in abandon, crumbling. Yet Raven returned here, to the roof, on a regular basis. Never had she been able to meditate as peacefully as here, atop this building.

_Oh, how things have changed. I was battling for silence here, in the past. Now I come here, guaranteed it._

Yes, things had changed. She had lost contact with Starfire, and the now Nightwing. _Theatrical,_ she thought, then shook her head. Beast Boy had left Jump City a long time ago. And Cyborg had just slipped off the radar.

Why did she get lost in thought, when she came here only to meditate?

_Perhaps, _she thought, _perhaps it's because I miss it. I miss everything. I miss everyone._

She was no longer a famous superhero; no longer the dark and broody one of the group, no longer second to Starfire to fanboys. She operated alone, and only now did people suddenly find her _interesting_.

Yes, she had changed. Her hair had grown out, long and now passed her shoulders in length. She had traded in her leotard and cape for some jeans and a long sleeved, black t-shirt today. When she fought crime, she was different; she liked to think she had grown up, and now wore a skin tight, black suit, and long black boots. A hooded cape, finished with gloves, made up her ensemble.

And the main difference?

_I work alone now._

The words resounded through her mind, a deadpan monotone. Sighing to the wind, fed up of thoughts long since dropped, she allowed herself one, last regret before her meditation.

_I never gained enough courage, control, never could battle my own fear, to even comfort Cyborg. Now I'm living in a remote corner of Jump City, and I…I've lost contact with all my friends. With…With possibly the best guy I knew. Maybe I was in love with him. Maybe I smothered the love for fear of how I would handle it._

She needed to stop. She would think it over, and over, and _over_, until she drove herself crazy. She was a more mature Raven, filled with doubts, regrets. Yet, she was happier than she had been in her teenage years.

And Raven didn't _do _crazy. Maybe _possessed, _but never crazy.

Crossing her legs in mid air, it looked as though she would drop. But instead, a subtle cushion of nothingness kept her floating.

_Azerath. Metrion. Zinthos._

The chant began, and peacefully she floated, amethyst eyes closed, until the sun had completely set.

How long she'd stayed there, she wasn't entirely sure. Longer than she should have allowed herself, she knew that was for sure, but a measurement of time? She couldn't have said.

What disrupted her was the creak of the door to the roof. It had rusted, making it louder to open these days. A clomp of boots shook her, and she dropped her legs so that she was standing, whirling around in a blaze of lavender hair. No one would dare bother her, surely? Perhaps she wasn't a Titan any more, but people knew well enough never to mess with Raven.

She lowered her hands, which were pulsing black with surprise, as a face from the past, though not entirely unforgotten, met hers.

His one, robotic eye still seemed to penetrate her very soul, and the circuits still whirred through his arms, his legs. But his mouth, and his one, human eye, conveyed very human emotion in stark contrast to the cold, robotic indifference which he seemed to radiate to anyone who didn't have any knowledge of his character.

"…Rae?" He questioned softly, taken aback as he took one, tentative step closer. Her own face was surprised, though her mask of indifference that had become the norm in her teenage years had almost disappeared.

"Cyborg?" She questioned back, her voice still a monotone, though Cyborg was pleased to hear at least a hint of emotion ringing throughout the last syllable.

He stepped closer still, until they were only inches apart. He didn't feel threatening to her, and she took the opportunity to examine him. Age had only touched his face by way of laugh lines around his mouth, and he had the shadows of a beard around his jaw, which signaled perhaps a missed shave.

He in turn examined her as well, noting the change in her own demeanor as well as stature and clothing. She seemed…She seemed so much…So different. A happier Rae. A Rae he'd dreamt of.

"What are you doing here?" She prompted, and Cyborg couldn't resist a grin. The same blunt manor. The same short, harsh questions. Yet he didn't detect any hatred within the bluntness. He shrugged, his human eye blinking.

"I come here, time to time. How about you, girl? I thought you'd upped and left a long time ago," he questioned, and Raven mirrored his shrug.

"I never left. I'm still here. In Jump City. Missing the glory days," she stated, and Cyborg threw his head back and laughed, the same laugh he'd had as a teenager. Raven's lips twitched, fighting a smile. Cyborg realized this sudden change in character. Raven…Raven hadn't aged since he'd last seen her, eight years ago. She was twenty eight, him thirty, and yet he felt like he looked thousands of years older than her.

"You look good, Rae. Glad to see someone's holding up good. BB has really let himself go, and Rob's already going grey," he said, seriousness returning to his voice. Raven blinked in surprise, and then let her eyes meet his.

"You don't look to shabby either. And I thought it was _Nightwing_ now."

"Nah, he'll always be Robin." Cyborg said, still amazed to have found Raven, the girl he'd always felt some sort of attraction to, the attraction he'd always denied. He knew she'd have just treated him with the cold shoulder, back then. But eight years had passed, and she…She seemed less afraid of emotion. An empath, afraid of emotion.

And Cyborg was surprised to admit, the feeling was still there, though he thought it had long since been smothered.

Raven allowed herself a smile, and Cyborg grinned. She was a different Raven.

"Seriously Rae…I don't believe it. You…You look good. And by _good _I don't just mean physically. You look happier."

"I didn't either. I think, perhaps, being by myself for a while allowed me to come to terms with myself. I'm not so afraid anymore," she stated, uncertainly. Why was she telling him this?

Because, she realized, he was the one she'd done it for, whether subconsciously or not.

"So, are you still in touch with any of the guys?" Cyborg asked, shattering her reverie. Raven snapped back to reality, and shook her head.

"I lost touch with Starfire and Robin about four years ago. Beast Boy and I fell out not long after the Titans disbanded," she stated, the monotone returning when she spoke. Cyborg allowed himself a sigh. He and Beast Boy still talked, though BB had become more of a dick then Cyborg would have liked. He could see why Raven would drop all contact with him.

"Jeez. Star and Rob moved to Gotham. I still get emails, time to time. BB is still somewhere in Jump City, though where I'm not sure. But…Rae, why did _we_ stop talking?" He asked, regretting it as soon as he had said it. Why was he so impulsive?

Raven sucked in her breath as soon as Cyborg had asked. Why had they?

She knew why. Cyborg distracted her, helped her slip away from the emotionless void she'd always known. Which had terrified her, yet thrilled her to her very core.

And that was why.

Perhaps she could tell him. Right now, they were talking like old friends do. Perhaps now, while she was in the state she was, she should tell him.

"Because, Cy, I think…The way you made me feel terrified me. I was so used to being emotionless. And when I was around you, I was anything _but _emotionless. And it terrified me. So when we disbanded…I wanted to feel in control. And I lost all control around you. Whether you knew it or not," she stated, deadpan monotone breaking at points.

Cyborg stared. At first, he thought she had to be joking. But Raven didn't _do _joking.

There was a long silence, and Raven sighed her customary sigh.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

Cyborg shook his head.

"'Course you should have, Rae. But you should have said it ten years ago. 'Cause I felt exactly like you did. But, I still do, girl."

"Cyborg…I couldn't have said anything ten years ago. If I'd let my emotions overwhelm me, bad things would have happened. I'm only saying them now, because I'm in control."

"This is crazy. I thought I'd stopped feeling the way I did for you about ten years ago. I guess I was lying to myself, or just allowed the robot to take over that part. Because I still do."

Raven and Cyborg stared at each other for a long time, before Cyborg laughed again.

"How old are we?" He asked, and Raven shook her head.

"We're behaving like twelve year olds," she stated, and Cyborg grinned.

"Maybe we should act our age."

"Maybe we should."

"What would adults do in this situation?"

Raven paused, feeling suddenly self conscious around the half robot. What should happen?

"Maybe we should pick up where we left off."

"And where was that?"

"When I rejected your email asking if I'd like to go out with you sometime."

"Jeez, Rae, you remember that?"

"Of course I do," she'd stated, and let her small hand touch the robot side of Cyborg's face. He raised one, robotic hand, that closed around hers, and let himself pretend he could feel. Their hands dropped, and they were still entwined. The two headed towards the rusted door, both feeling smugly happy with themselves.

Each felt like they were the winners. Cyborg knew Rae had been coming to the top of the tower for a while now, and he was hoping to run into her. Raven had had a premonition.

But each believed what they wished. The truth was, the outcome was better than each had expected.


End file.
